DEVELOPMENT OF A COLORIMETRIC SENSOR BASED ON SILVER NANOPRISMS FOR MERCAPTOPURINE DETECTION BY SMARTPHONE

Background & Aims: Mercaptopurine (MP) is an anti-cancer drug specifically applied for the treatment of childhood acute leukemia.However, like other chemotherapy drugs, it can cause notable adverse effects including hepatotoxicity, immunosuppression, and myelosuppression.Therefore, it is imperative to regularly monitor the dosage of this medication in the human body.Currently used methods are timeconsuming and expensive.Hence, the creation of a sensitive and cost-effective approach for MP detection is of importance.Materials & Methods: AgNPrs were synthesized from silver nitrate, trisodium citrate, poly(vinylpyrrolidone), hydrogen peroxide, and sodium borohydride.The formation of AgNPrs was confirmed by TEM imaging and absorbance spectrum recording.The agarose gel discs containing AgNPrs were prepared and exposed to different concentrations of MP.Then, the discs were placed into an I solution and RGB signals were taken via imaging by a smartphone.Results: The prepared AgNPrs were characterized by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and TEM imaging.TEM images confirmed the triangular shape of AgNPrs.Additionally, three SPR characteristic peaks of AgNPrs appeared at 330, 485, and 735 nm.The corner sites of AgNPrs placed in agarose gel were dissociated by I, leading to a color change of the AgNPr discs from blue to purple.In the presence of MP, AgNPrs were protected from etching by I, resulting in the discs returning to a bluish color. Conclusion:The color variations of the prepared AgNPr discs were proportional to the concentration of MP.Based on this fact, a colorimetric sensor was developed for the determination of MP.The sensor's linear concentration range was obtained from 1 to 20 M with a LOD of 0.9 M.The developed method was applied for the determination of MP in pharmaceutical compounds (6-MP tablets, 50 mg) with satisfactory results.